Most Boring Thread

I could have 4 weeks worth of underwear under the "gradations" theory. Although by the time 4 weeks are up, I don't think there'd be much point in changing from 1 shade to another, so I could probably keep that going for longer.

 

Congratulations to your friend! I have a ways to go yet, before making HP.

 

Yesterday I spent nearly four hours sitting on my ride-on lawnmower (while mowing grass) and listening to a Brian Eno interview-fest on the radio and was amazed how many interviews of his are apparently readily available.
The best one of the lot in my opinion was the one by Bob Geldorf for the BBC, this is in spite of Geldorf's extremely goofy laugh (which is probably to be expected if you give your kid a middle name like Zenon).

 

I saw Roxy Music perform when Brian Eno was a member.

I wasn't a big fan of Roxy Music so I have only vague memories of the concert.

EDIT: Upon further research, I saw Roxy Music perform in 1975, when Brian Eno was no longer a member.

 

punk rock, right?? I think that in that genre I favor Devo............

 

Boringly (rather than interestingly), Roxy Music never came up during any of those interviews, not once.
His work with U2 and Talking heads did, and his foray into elevator music, even an analysis of Bob Dylan's vocal style, but no Roxy Music, nosiree.

 

Our cat won't eat much if we aren't home. She also won't eat much if we aren't actually in the kitchen, where her dish is. If I'm working in the kitchen, she will come in and start chowing down. If I leave the kitchen, so will she.

We don't have small children, or any other pets. I don't actually understand her behavior, except that it's some sort of defensive thing... she will eat when we've 'got her back'.

 

I like movies. And food. And movies about food.

My favorites, in no particular order (with random thoughts in parens):

1. Babette's Feast (Based on a novella by Isak Dinesen which I've never read. There are political elements or subtext in the story that do not get explored. Specifically, Babette is a refugee or escapee of the massacre of the Paris Commune which had killed her husband and son.)

2. Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (Ang Lee's great movie about a master chef and widower and his three daughters. When Ang Lee was chosen to direct Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility, there was quite an uproar in England -- how could they select a somewhat unknown Chinese guy from Taiwan to direct this very English novel? I think if the skeptics had seen Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, they would have seen that Ang Lee had great story telling ability.)

3. Big Night (Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott's fantastic movie about a failing Italian restaurant in the New York suburbs that hosts a one night big feast in the hopes of saving the restaurant. The film is unique in many ways, including, one, it was co-directed by Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott. It's rare for a movie to be co-directed. I know of another great movie that was also co-directed -- the Oscar winning Hungarian Holocaust film, The Revolt of Job. And two, it showed the primacy and love of eggs among chefs and foodies. I remember a survey of 20 something French chefs in New York City where the question asked was "What do you like to cook for yourself and eat when you get home after work?" I think something like 8 of them said scrambled eggs or an omelette. In Big Night, after the big feast, Stanley Tucci scrambles eggs for himself, his brother the chef, and the staff to eat, none of whom had eaten a single bite of the fancy feast they had prepared and served earlier.)

4. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (Besides being about two stoners' pursuit of the world's greatest food, White Castle burgers, the film was unique in its depiction of Asians in America. Its two leads were Asian males (a first for American movies), and it deftly dealt with the relationship between Asians and whites in America (also a first for American movies.))

 

Tom......I'm not a huge fan of movies like you are..........but I am a fan of really good food. I am fortunate to live in the mecca of good food. Tell me some of your favorites....

I love crawfish etoufee, really just about anything with crawfish in it, crab claws, jumbalaya, gumbo, cafe au lait (which I am drinking right now....). I am on a low carb, no sugar lifestyle so that inhibits the amount of those food choices. I supplement with a lot of fruits and veggies.

Judi

 

Haven't seen Harold and Kumar yet. Do you remember Wayne Wang's films, like Chan is Missing and Dim Sum?

On Monday I went to the grocery store to buy some bread, fresh fish, and wine. While I was there I bought 4 bottles of Pams Smoky BBQ sauce, because of the doormat principle. In the middle of last year I had determined that this brand of BBQ sauce was a reasonable substitute for another brand that had disappeared from the shelves. I tried it because it was in the same shaped bottle, and it subsequently disappeared as well. Until Monday. I saw a small number of bottles on the self and bought 4 of them. This is because we have an island economy, and some items, like doormats, only appear on sale at unpredictable intervals. If you see something you want, you had better get it now, it probably won't be there the next time you look. Haven't seen Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in over 10 years.

 

Like the Registered Sex Offender List for New York City, it would be a shorter list if it listed who wasn't a sex offender.

Or I can give you Sarah Palin's reply when she was asked what newspapers she read: "Oh, all of them ...."

But some quick thoughts:

-- I tend to like almost all cuisines, including the big four: Chinese, French, Indian, Italian. But in terms of what I cook, I tend to cook stuff that's easy to do right, that I can make in big batches, and that reheats well. This means I cook Indian most frequently.

-- I also like foods that I rarely ate or never ate at home when I was growing up. This can include foods that most people consider mundane or even awful -- canned peas, Swanson TV dinners, school cafeteria food, airline food.

-- France is the only country I've been to that has good or great food everywhere you go. Throw out the Michelin guide. Good food is pervasive there. It's literally everywhere ... 3 star restaurants, 0 star restaurants, open air markets, street stands, bakeries ... every bite a delight.

-- Two foods worth traveling thousands of miles for: Ligurian focaccia with rosemary (Liguria aka the Italian Riviera), and Neapolitan pizza (Naples). Before I had them, I didn't even dream or imagine that bread and pizza could be so good.

-- Red meat and onions is a taste combination that I've seen in almost all cuisines. It seems to be a universally recognized great taste. My two favorite red meat and onions dishes are simple: (1) White Castle burgers, and (2) Philadelphia cheesesteaks 'wid'.

 

Yes! And there are others too.

So I should rephrase: Harold and Kumar is the first Hollywood movie, Off-Hollywood movie, or major movie made by a white guy that has two Asian "leading" men.

 

Speaking of Walkabout, those new Australia tourism commercials directed by Baz Luhrmann are weird, arguably anti-working women, and ultimately counterproductive.

The one shown in the US shows the harried working woman character arguing with her mate, and stepping barefoot in the rain on a big piece of dog poop. I know all this occurs before she walkabouts and discovers herself in Australia, but how are those unappealing scenes (stepping barefoot on dog poop ... squish!!!) supposed to make someone want to go to Australia?

 

No dog poop in Australia. It's forbidden. Your feet will be safe from the poop of dogs! Isn't that the whole point of going on vacation in the first place?

 

Oh, I LOVE Babette's Feast!! Great movie
I also saw, and loved one that is French (with subtitles, as I'm an ignorant American), I can't remember the title *gasp*, but it was about a female Chef who found a job and love. It was really good. I loved when she slammed one of the restaurant's customers that was giving her a really hard time about the food.

Right now, it's Babylon 5.

 

Speaking of Babylon (boring little pun, sort of...)

At the weekend the new National Government here reinstated kinghthoods and the honorifics Sir and Dame, after having been discontinued by the last government back in 2000. In the interim, people became principal or distinguished companions of the Order of New Zealand - how's that for a boring title?

 

Dame Samiam, thank you for the information [oh, sh*t... are you actually a Sir? I always have this idea that you are a she, but I sure as h**l could be wrong!!]

It's hailing here. oh, now it's stopped. It's been starting and stopping the entire weekend.

 

The New York City Department of Transportation emailed this message to me:

"Alternate side parking (street cleaning) regulations will be suspended on Tuesday, March 10 for Purim. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect."

 

I am suddenly craving matzo ball soup.